No $5 million in Christmas Eve scam

A rural Carter County resident says he was targeted in a complex Christmas Eve telephone scam.

Jim Bondurant told The Ardmoreite he received a telephone call from a man who told him he had won a prize from Publishers Clearing House.

"[The] guy said he was with Publishers Clearing House and he was the driver and was wanting to deliver my prize in 45 minutes," Bondurant said. "Then he gave me a number to call to verify what I had won."

Bondurant called the number. Another man answered the call and assured the rural Springer man he was not only a winner, but that he had won $5 million.

It was then the story changed and Bondurant became suspicious he was being victimized in what was really an elaborate hoax.

Bondurant said he was told "... they needed to deliver my prize, then he went on and told me to meet him at Walmart."

Receiving the highly unusual instructions as a means of accepting what was alleged to be a legitimate prize triggered Bondurant's response.

"I told him that he was trying to scam me and he got angry and said, 'If you don't want to win, then that's it,' and I told him that he was scamming me again."

Following the phone call, Bondurant did two things. First, he called the Carter County Sheriff's Department and reported the scam attempt. Second, he contacted The Ardmoreite.

"I just thought you might want to warn the public about this scam," he said.